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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 120 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  2. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  3. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  4. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  5. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  6. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  7. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  8. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  9. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  10. He is an ace ________________.
  11. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  12. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  13. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  14. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  15. Did you ________________ the button?
  16. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  17. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  18. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  19. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  20. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  21. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  22. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  23. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  24. Fill up this ________________ with water.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. shower — a meteor shower
  2. content — happy
  3. shower — to wash
  4. net — for catching
  5. wound — an injury
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. net — after costs
  8. ruler — a monarch
  9. shower — rain
  10. pitcher — in baseball
  11. content — videos and posts
  12. snap — to click
  13. snap — to speak sharply
  14. ruler — for measuring
  15. press — to push
  16. content — the amount
  17. press — newspapers
  18. press — a publisher
  19. snap — to snap out of it
  20. wound — past of 'wind'
  21. net — in sport
  22. wound — an injury
  23. ruler — for measuring
  24. pitcher — a jug

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com